In the coming months the Irvine Spectrum Center will see three new restaurants opening and two others expanding. Luna Grill, a Near East and Mediterranean restaurant with locations in San Diego, is slated to open this summer near the Edwards movie theater, according to a press release from the Irvine Co., which owns the shopping center. The grill will offer kabobs a la carte, topped on salad or paired with other items. The restaurant will also serve gyro quesadillas, spicy cilantro hummus and falafel burgers.

NEWPORT BEACH — Russo's Pet Experience, which has sold purebred puppies and fancy cats for more than three decades at Fashion Island, is likely to close. The Irvine Co. does not plan to renew Russo's leases at Fashion Island or at the Irvine Spectrum, a company spokeswoman said. The Newport Beach-based developer has decided to stop renting space to stores that sell cats and dogs. Other animals, such as birds, fish and reptiles, weren't included in the decision. "Effective immediately, the Irvine Co. will not lease space in any of its centers to tenants that intend to sell dogs or cats," spokeswoman Erin Freeman said in an email.

Cucina Enoteca, an Italian restaurant that is part food, part retail, is opening a second Orange County location at Newport Beach's Fashion Island next year. "I think it's a perfect fit for us," said Tracy Borkum, principal of Urban Kitchen Group, which operates the Cucina restaurants. Cucina Enoteca markets itself as a modern-meets-rustic Italian kitchen with a "restaurant to retail" concept, where just about everything is on sale. Diners can buy the chairs they're sitting on, the light fixtures above them or hand-selected wines from the dedicated wine shop.

36, Newport Beach ... Skipper of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Commodores Club ... Involved in various committees at the Balboa Yacht Club ... Has taken on a more active role in the Newport Coast Concours d'Elegance show at the Irvine Spectrum ... Raising money with former members of the 17th Street Merchants and Community Assn. to give to the Newport Beach Fire Department ... Owns Hemphill's Rugs and Carpets on East 17th Street and has been in floor-covering business since 1988 ... An active sailor and a big car nut ... Married to Cherie for seven years ... Last year's ranking: 38

Newport-Mesa residents participated in a rally to support the public option for health care. Over one hundred empty medicine bottles were stuffed with personal messages to Senator Diane Feinstein from citizens about the health care they got (or didn’t get) under the status quo. The purpose of the rally was to urge Sen. Feinstein to continue to champion the Public Option. The rally was held on November 4th at Irvine Spectrum, and was coordinated by MoveOn.

Fashion Island, Irvine Spectrum, and the Eastbluff Village, Crystal Cove and Bayside shopping centers, have announced the openings of multiple new businesses. Each of the centers is owned and operated by the Newport Beach-based Irvine Co. Some of the new businesses opened in the latter half of 2013, others early this year, and additional ones are coming in the months ahead. Offerings include shops, restaurants, apparel boutiques and a comedy club. "More than ever, our retail centers offer more than just a place to come shop," Stacie Ellis, senior marketing director for Irvine Co. Retail Properties , said in a news release.

The Irvine Co. laid off an undisclosed number of workers last week to help reduce staff by 3%. The cuts represent part of a plan the company announced in September. As a real estate developer and the owner of several retail and residential properties — all industries hit particularly hard by the recession — the company has reduced its workforce to increase efficiency, according to company spokesman Gary Delsohn. “Obviously we’re in the worst economic downturn anyone can remember,” Delsohn said.

The Irvine Co. laid off an undisclosed number of workers last week as part of a plan the company announced in September to reduce its staff by 3%. As a real estate developer and the owner of several retail and residential properties – all industries hit particularly hard by the recession – the company has reduced its workforce in order to streamline, according to company spokesman Gary Delsohn. “Obviously we’re in the worst economic downturn anyone can remember,” Delsohn said.

Fashion Island, Irvine Spectrum, and the Eastbluff Village, Crystal Cove and Bayside shopping centers, have announced the openings of multiple new businesses. Each of the centers is owned and operated by the Newport Beach-based Irvine Co. Some of the new businesses opened in the latter half of 2013, others early this year, and additional ones are coming in the months ahead. Offerings include shops, restaurants, apparel boutiques and a comedy club. "More than ever, our retail centers offer more than just a place to come shop," Stacie Ellis, senior marketing director for Irvine Co. Retail Properties , said in a news release.

Cucina Enoteca, an Italian restaurant that is part food, part retail, is opening a second Orange County location at Newport Beach's Fashion Island next year. "I think it's a perfect fit for us," said Tracy Borkum, principal of Urban Kitchen Group, which operates the Cucina restaurants. Cucina Enoteca markets itself as a modern-meets-rustic Italian kitchen with a "restaurant to retail" concept, where just about everything is on sale. Diners can buy the chairs they're sitting on, the light fixtures above them or hand-selected wines from the dedicated wine shop.

Irvine Mayor Steven Choi believes his city is "one of America's best places in which to have a business. " During his first annual Business Luncheon with the Mayor on Tuesday, he cited a February Orange County Business Journal article that said Irvine's jobs-to-population ratio leads the nation's 100 largest cities at 94.8% and California Employment Development Department findings that local unemployment numbers are at 4.9% - lower than last year's...

To pray or not to pray - that was the question at this week's Irvine City Council meeting. In the end, the council voted 3 to 2 Tuesday to pray, approving a proposal to invite local religious leaders to start the bi-weekly meetings with an invocation. Council members Larry Agran and Beth Krom dissented. Four public speakers kicked off the lengthy debate over separation of church and state by pulling from the consent calendar a proposed policy that would require sending a list of do's and don'ts known as the Rubin decision along with the invitation.

With its diverse make-up of sprawling subdivisions and densely populated cities, Orange County's housing situation is a complex puzzle with countless moving pieces, a new Orange County Business Council report shows. And solving that puzzle will require long-range inter-city cooperation, local officials and OCBC Chief Economic Advisor Wallace Walrod said at a forum Friday morning. Walrod presented the council's 2012 "Workforce Housing Scorecard" to a group of city administrators and business people from around the county at Irvine's Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The Irvine Co. plans to expand its Newport Center headquarters by adding a 19-story tower to its complex there, a news release said last week. Construction on the building at 520 Newport Center Drive is expected to begin early next year and be completed by the end of 2014. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects of New York designed the roughly 300,000-squre-foot tower. The firm's I.M. Pei is perhaps best-known for designing the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Style mavens who have seen films like "The Devil Wears Prada" or have been to New York's Fashion Week are well aware of the stress, attire expectations, expense and name dropping required for admission to most Lincoln Center runway shows. Fortunately, Style Week OC - Orange County's version of the fashion fête - offers all the couture and none of the hauteur. Held at both Fashion Island and the Irvine Spectrum Center, Style Week OC promises a variety of free runway shows and other special events that anyone can attend.

KNX 1070 will take a closer look at the city of Irvine on Aug. 24, broadcasting live from the Irvine Spectrum as part of its "KNX on Your Corner" series. Streaming from the Corner Bakery Café at 91 Fortune Drive, the segment will focus on major issues and success stories Irvine's had over the past 30 years. Featuring guest appearances from community leaders and city officials, including Mayor Sukhee Kang, the program will look specifically at the city's growth and future plans, in addition to its places of interests, such as the Orange County Great Park.

In the coming months the Irvine Spectrum Center will see three new restaurants opening and two others expanding. Luna Grill, a Near East and Mediterranean restaurant with locations in San Diego, is slated to open this summer near the Edwards movie theater, according to a press release from the Irvine Co., which owns the shopping center. The grill will offer kabobs a la carte, topped on salad or paired with other items. The restaurant will also serve gyro quesadillas, spicy cilantro hummus and falafel burgers.